The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Thursday said it has "encircled" two Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorists in Anantnag district where three security officers were killed in an encounter a day earlier, reports PTI.

"In solemn tribute to the unwavering valor of Col Manpreet Singh, Major Ashish Dhonak & DSP Humayun Bhat who laid down their lives leading from the front during this ongoing operation. Our forces persist with unwavering resolve as they encircle 2 LET terrorists including Uzair Khan," Kashmir Zone Police said in a post on X.

The commanding officer of 19 Rashtriya Rifles, a major rank officer and a Deputy superintendent of police were killed in an encounter with the terrorists at Gadole in Kokernag area of Anantnag district in Wednesday.

The last time security forces lost multiple senior officers in a gunfight with militants was in May 2020 when a colonel and a major were among several killed in north Kashmir’s Kupwara, making Wednesday’s losses the worst for officers in three years.

Militant group The Resistance Front, which is a front for the Lashkar, has taken responsibility for Wednesday's killings. The group said it carried out the attack to avenge the death of its commander Muhammad Riaz alias Abu Qasim, who was killed inside a mosque in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir’s Rawalakot last week. Qasim was a resident of Poonch in Jammu.

The army said a gunfight erupted during the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday when it received inputs about the presence of militants in Garol village of Kokernag in south Kashmir.

Sources said the operation was suspended on Tuesday night as the militants managed to escape, taking advantage of thick foliage. The operation resumed early on Wednesday, with the officers leading from the front.